Carpenter&#39;s tool



May 13, 1941. D. ALFRED CARPENTER'S TOOL Filed March .14, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor F0222) Jifred Attorney May 13, 1941. D. ALFRED 2,241,570

CARPENTER S TOOL Fiied March 14, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I .I' I.

A w mun H'lllll!" IIHIIII Inventor F0226) jZffedv- @Mmih I A ifomey Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED STATE CARPENTERS TOOL Dozier thirty-five per cent to E. D.

water, Tex.

Alfred, Gladewater, Tex., assignor of Washington, Glade- Application March 14, 1940, Serial No. 323,990

1 Claim.

This invention relates broadly to tools and more particularly to tools designed for use by carpenters, and particularly those engaged in the laying or taking up of flooring and the like.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a tool which will be found particularly useful generally not only in the laying of flooring but also in the takingup of such flooring, and which is equipped to facilitate the extracting of nails from flooring and similar Work; the invention being in the form of a tool generally known in the art as a floor jack.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be best understood from a study of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the use of the tool in laying a floor.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 1 and illustrating the use of the tool in taking up flooring.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken substantially on the line 4--4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view partly in section and partly in elevation illustrating the use of the tool as a nail or spike extractor.

Referring more in detail to the drawings it will be seen that in the preferred embodiment thereof the tool comprises generally a clamp 5 and a work-lever 6.

The clamp 5 embodies a narrow elongated body plate 1 provided with a series of longitudinally spaced slots l0, and on one I in the region of each slot H1 is provided with teeth 8.

Adapted to be secured on the plate I at the desired position of adjustment is a jaw block II which at one end thereof is provided with teeth [2 complementing the teeth 8, and the block H is secured at the desired position of adjustment on the plate 1 through the medium of a nutequipped bolt I3, one end of which is accommodated in a selected one of the slots l0.

Also complementing the jaw II is a substantially hook-shaped jaw M, the shank of which at one end is pivoted to the plate I through the medium of a rivet or the like 15. The hook I4 is adapted to hook over the upper edge of the joist 9 and the bight portion of the hook is provided on the inner surface thereof with teeth l5 for biting engagement with said edge of the joist. In this connection it will also be noted that the face of the block II that engages the bottom edge of the face thereof the plate joist 9 is provided with teeth ll for biting engagement with the surface of the joist 9 at the bottom edge thereof so that as a result of the teeth l6 and H the clamp will be held on the joist 9 against slippage.

Pivoted to the plate I at one end thereof, and as at [8, is an intermediate portion of the aforementioned lever 6.

Pivoted to the lever B as at H! is the forked or bifurcated end of a shank 20 that is integral with an abutment member 2|.

The abutment member 2| is provided in the end edge thereof with a groove 22 to receive the tongue 23 of a floor plank 24, and in the manner suggested in Figure 1 when the tool is used for laying flooring. In this connection it will be apparent that when using the device for laying flooring, and with the tool clamped in position on the joist 9, the grooved edge of the abutment head 2| is engaged with the tongue 23 of the plank 24, lever 6, viewing the device shown in Figure 1, is swung in a counter-clockwise direction to force the plank 24 into positive engagement with the next adjacent plank and to hold the said plank 24 in positive position until the nails are driven in the usual manner.

Obviously the operation is substantially the same for each laying and nailing of a floor plank 2 At one end thereof the lever B is reversely bent as at 25 to provide a head presenting a convex, toothed work-engaging surface 26.

Head 25 is used when the tool is employed for taking up flooring, plank by plank. In this connection, and reference being had to Figure 3, it will be seen that when the tool is used for this purpose the clamp 5 is engaged with the joist 9, and to remove a floor plank 24 lever B is caused to swing downwardly in a clockwise direction, or in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 3, thus bringing the surface of the head 25 into contact with the underside of the plank 24. Obviously as the lever B continues to swing in the direction indicated, the surface 26 of the head 25 so contacting the plank 24 will cause the latter to shift longitudinally of the joist 9 for separating the plank 24 from the next adjacent plank, thus permitting the first-mentioned plank 24 to be easily removed. Thus in this way the planks of the flooring may be successively disengaged one from the other and removed, and the work of taking up the flooring quickly accomplished.

The shank 6 at the end thereof remote from the head 25 merges into a substantially C-shaped head 27 that at its free extremity i laterally enlarged and provided with a slot 28. Pivoted with in the slot 28, adjacent one end of the slot as at 29, is a cam 30 the toothed segmental head 3! of which is normally urged inwardly of the slot 28 through the medium of a suitably provided spring 32.

Thus with the structure just described, the tool may be also used as a nail or spike extractor. Thus referring to Figure 5 it will be seen that when it is desired to use the device as a nail or spike extractor the slot equipped end of head 21 of shank 26 is slipped over the nail or spike 33 and the head 3i of cam 39, through the medium of spring 22, urged into frictional engagement with the shank of the nail, the gripping action of the cam head 3| increasing as the lever B is manipulated in the proper manner for drawing the nail out of the work.

From the above then it will be seen that I have provided a tool which can be conveniently used for performing three operations, namely the laying of flooring, the raising or taking up of flooring, and the extracting of nails and spikes.

It is thought that a clear understanding of the construction, manner of use, utility, and advantages of a'tool embodying the features of the present invention will be had without a more detailed description.

- through the Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

In a tool of the class described, a clamp comprising an elongated plate having a row of longitudinally extending slots therein, one slot located adjacent one end of the plate and one face of the plate having teeth formed thereon, said teeth extending transversely from each slot to the side edges of the plate, a jaw member of block-like form having teeth in one end thereof for engaging the teeth of the plate, a bolt passing jaw member and through a selected slot and having a nut thereon for adjustably holding the jaw member to the plate, a second jaw member of substantially channel shape in cross section and having one limb longer than the other with the long limb engaging said one face of the plate, a pivot passing through the plate and said long limb with the outer face of the bight of the second jaw member substantially flush with the second end of the plate, a lever having an intermediate portion contacting the other face of the plate and said lever being located at that end of the plate which is engaged by the channel-shaped jaw member and a pivot connecting the lever with the plate.

DOZIER ALFRED. 

